Five Times Sam Carter Fell Asleep In His Arms
by chocolate chip wookiee
Summary: The title says it all. A series of oneshots.
1. First Time

**_A/N:_** Okay, my muse seems to have taken some time off as far as my other story Back To The Future is concerned. I did, however, come up with this. It'll be a series of oneshots, mostly episode tags. This first one I thought of this morning while on subway, stuffed between two particularly smelly strangers. Guess I was just looking for something to take my mind off the moment. This is the result. It's really strange, but I hope you'll like it. More to follow. Hopefully.

Set in season one episode Solitudes, it's been done many times, so this is my take. Please let me know what you think.

* * *

**First Time**

The first time Jack didn't really remember much of. Everything was blurry and the strongest impressions were the cold and the sharp pain of his broken leg and ribs. It still seemed kind of surreal to him, even after all those years.

_He was lying there in the arctic ice cave, freezing his ass off and trying his best to ignore the throbbing in his broken leg. Somewhere behind him he could hear the steady thuds as Carter was trying to dig out the DHD. At first, he'd tried to help, but that hadn't gone so well. And after she'd ordered him to lie still and rest, he figured the best he could do was keep her mind focused and her spirit up. God knew she needed it. Not that he had any doubts that she would find a way out of there, eventually. He'd seen her work miracles before, Carter was one person one would like to have around when in trouble, she just needed a little encouragement. Someone to remind her not to overthink stuff. Yeah, she sure did that a lot. Unlike him. Jack chuckled dryly and was rewarded by a sharp pain shooting through his chest and making its way up his spine to the back of his neck._

_Way to go, O'Neill, puncture yourself a lung, why dontcha?_

_The sound of Carter's desperate voice echoed through the cave, she was yelling at the DHD again. Jack wished he could do anything, anything to help. Fortunately, he knew better than to try to move. That certainly wouldn't do him any good and only give _her_ one more thing to worry about. As if she already didn't have enough of that, stuck in a frozen cave on some godforsaken alien planet with a dying elderly flyboy. She deserved better. But he had to DO something. Jack took a deep breath just to start coughing painfully again. So much for keeping the spirit up, he thought bitterly._

_Slowly, he realized how cold he was, so cold that he couldn't even tell whether he still had feeling in his injured leg. If Carter couldn't get the 'gate working soon, he wouldn't probably have to worry about it anyway. _

_Carter was a brilliant young officer, her career and life still before her, she deserved better than to die here because of him. Because of him being such burden for her to put up with. Yeah, if she couldn't get them home soon, he'd tell her to go. Carter would survive. She had to._

_***_

_He'd done it. She was on her way to the surface. The cavern was perfectly quiet, the only sound being the occasional crack of the radio and her distorted voice talking to him. He didn't really listen, the urge to fall back into unconsciousness was just too strong. He'd told her what he needed to. It had been an honor serving with her. He'd meant it..._

_Cold... Darkness creeping upon him. The radio cracked, he heard Carter... Ice planet... The darkness covered his eyes._

_A cry. In the distance. Far away. Echo. _

_A thud. Suddenly, the echo was much closer. The voice clearer._

_"Colonel?"_

_A whisper now. _

_He felt her warmth spread from his side where she snuggled against him. The weight of her head rested on his shoulder. His arm was around her shoulders. It felt familiar. _

_Sara._

_Jack was holding her in his arms._

_Her eyes._

_Two deep pools of blue gazing at him lovingly. Her eyes held his, sparkling with a shimmering reflection of pale blue and silvery water surface. She raised her hand. "Fascinating..."she breathed out._

_He reached to touch her golden hair, trying to feel its softness. She turned around, walked away from him. Disappeared in the water._

_Something soft tickled his cheek. Jack's eyes fluttered the narrowest bit open. He saw a blurry image of blonde hair spread across his shoulder._

_"Sara..." he whispered._

_"I'm here, Jack," her familiar voice soothed._

_She was there. Sara was there. Sam was there. He closed his eyes again.  
_

_A shiver ran through him. "Cold," it wasn't supposed to be. "So cold..."_

_"I know. It's alright." A hand rubbed his chest gently. "You can sleep now." _

_Sleep._

_He felt his consciousness slipping away._

_He breathed in the scent of her. _

_Sleep._

_Her voice. There._

_He gave in.  
_


	2. Second Time

**A/N:** Okay, here's part two. Thank to you who have taken the time to read and even more so to those who let me know what they thought. This one is set in season 3 episode Point Of View. I've noticed that while there are many fics concentrating on the events right after this episode (_the kiss_), only a few that are actually set during the ep. So, here you go.

Minor language in this one, so consider yourselves warned :)

* * *

**Second Time**

The second time was in many ways even stranger than the first. Oh, he did remember it, but… He wasn't even sure if it could be counted.

*

_He could do it. It was good news, after all, and he had volunteered to deliver it. Only… It didn't seem as good an idea as it had ten minutes before in General Hammond's office. _

_Oh, please, you're a grown man, for cryin' out loud! You haven't been this freaked out about talking to a woman since… Well, for a long time, anyway._

_He raised his hand and knocked on the door. When there was no response, he opened it and hesitantly hovered, his body only halfway into the room._

_It was dark and he could barely make out Carter's- _Doctor Carter's _form lying on the far side of the bed with her back to him._

_There was a quiet sniff._

"_Just put it on the table and close the door on your way out," she said in a quite trembling voice._

_Jack froze. Maybe this really wasn't such a good idea. He knew he should let her know he wasn't whoever it was she'd been expecting. "I'm sorry? Put what on the table?"_

_She jumped up. "Jack!" She hastily rubbed her eyes and cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry! Come in. Your… Your Doctor Fraiser keeps insisting that I eat something," she added quickly, avoiding his eyes._

"_Well, she's your Doc Fraiser now, too."_

_She stared at him, bemused._

"_You're in. They said yes," Jack explained, grateful that at least there was something, anything, to talk about. _

_She nodded in understanding. "That's good," she said with a faint smile, turning his back to him again. _

_This was becoming awkward. _

"_Yeah. I can see you're overjoyed," Jack tried to lighten the mood. Carter, his Carter, was usually one to at least pretend his sarcastic remarks were funny._

_She shook her head and stared at her hands. "I just never expected this. It's…" She sucked in a deep breath and added quietly. "It's so hard."_

"_Uh…" Jack knew he should say something, but he was at a loss here. He didn't do emotions. But she looked so desperate, so lost. He had to at least try. He took a few steps towards her. "Look, I can't even begin to know what you've been through." Okay, O'Neill, that wasn't so bad, keep going. "I… I know you've lost a lot."_

"_I lost you."_

_Her blue eyes locked his and he could see tears that were beginning to fill them. "I watched you die, Jack. Three days ago, trying to defend the mountain," her head dropped down again, she took a few moments to regain composure. _

_Jack just stood there, clueless as to what to do or say. He definitely hadn't been ready for this. Carter would never talk to him like this, so openly, without the barriers that were military protocol. For the first time, it made him wonder whether being in the military had really made this much of a difference. Or was it just a side of her that she'd never allowed her CO to see?_

_She spoke up again in a shaky, unsteady voice. "And here you are," she made a vague gesture upwards and continued almost bitterly. "Alive and safe in this prefect world. And you don't even know me." _

_Did he? He'd thought so, but…Now he really wasn't sure. Jack sat down next to her on the bed. "Well, I… I sorta' know you…"_

_She shook her head in exasperation. "You know _her_," her tone made it an accusation."You don't even see her that way, do you?" her eyes wandered to the nightstand._

_He followed her gaze. Suddenly, it all clicked into place. There, propped against a table lamp, was a worn photo of himself and Carter. Well, their alternate selves, but somehow that didn't make it any easier. She was wearing a simple white dress and he was in his dress blues, his arms were wrapped around her in a possessive hug and both their eyes shone with happiness and contentment, their faces mirroring each other's affectionate smile._

_Oh, crap._

_Jack tore his eyes away from the picture and looked back at Sam. Her gaze, too, was fixed on the picture._

"_I take it, where you're from, we were, uh…"he waved his hand vaguely, reluctant to actually say the word._

_She finished for him. "Married."_

"_Ah." Yep, definitely awkward. He refused to meet her eyes. Instead, Jack's gaze was flickering around the room, desperately searching for anything to focus his mind on. Unwittingly, he shoved his hands into his pockets, probably with a little more force than necessary._

"_This makes you uncomfortable," she observed._

_Ya think?_

"_No, no… Not at all," he lied poorly, knowing that she was well aware of it. "I just... I get confused." _

_A knock on the door. Well, how's that for timing? The door opened and a female voice said: "Ma'am?"_

_There was a pause, Jack looked back at the door. He saw the shape of a female SF carrying a tray with food. _

"_Sorry, Colonel. I… I didn't realize," she apologized._

"_Just put it on the table, Airman."_

"_Yes, sir," she nodded._

"_And close the door on your way out." _

_The SF laid the tray carefully on the dining table and quickly made her way out of the room, shutting the door behind her._

_Another moment of uncomfortable silence. Finally, she sighed. "I haven't had a hot meal in… forever," she finished, getting up and heading for the food._

_Jack followed her movement with his eyes and watched as she lifted the pot lid and sniffed the food on the plate. She looked back at him._

"_It was a couple of weeks ago," she started. "We were celebrating our first anniversary when we got the call that the Goa'uld ships had been spotted entering our solar system," she took a deep breath. "We just left everything." _

_Even from where he sat he could see that her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. "You blew out the candles and I turned off the oven and we just left."_

_She was struggling for composure, Jack could tell. He wished he could help, but he just didn't know how. Frankly, he didn't even think he was able to._

"_They didn't hit Colorado Springs from orbit like most of the big cities… The table must still be set," she trailed off. She wasn't looking at him, her eyes and mind in a different world. _

_Jack tried hopelessly to think of something, anything, to say. "Cold by now."_

_She chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah."_

_Isn't it amazing how silence can sometimes shout louder than a rolling F-16? Jack saw a lonely tear roll down her cheek. He figured now would be a good time to make a strategic retreat and got up._

"_Listen, um…" Great, 'cause stammering will make this so much more comfortable. "I should probably be…" he made a vague gesture towards the door._

"_Stay!"she stepped into his way and her pleading eyes met his. He looked away._

_Why? Why was she doing this to him? Why was she doing this to herself?_

"_Sam…"_

_She didn't back away. "Please."_

"_Look…" Yeah, a good start. "You're dealing with a loss right now that I can't even begin to…" Okay, not the right way. He could imagine it. All too well. And he wasn't helping either of them. "What I mean is… Maybe I'm not the right person to help you."_

_He couldn't make it any clearer, could he? He didn't know what to do, had no idea how to help this woman who was a stranger and yet she wasn't. How could he help her when he couldn't help himself?_

"_Yes! Yes you are!" this time, the certainty in her voice made him look directly in her eyes."You're the only one who can!" her gaze never left his._

_He stood still. There was no doubt in her eyes. How could this woman trust him so much? Him of all people? The man who had almost eaten a bullet when his son died. How was it possible that this brilliant, beautiful young woman had so much faith in him when he didn't?_

_She stood only about a foot away from him. "Look. I know you well enough to know you don't have a clue what to say." Her eyes were warm, tears threatening to fall. "But you don't have to say anything," she dipped her head._

_Suddenly, she seemed so fragile, vulnerable. So un-Carter-like. She needed _her _Jack O'Neill, not him. He knew he wasn't right for her, yet he felt he needed to help her. For her sake as much as for his own. She wasn't his Sam, there was no such thing as _his Sam_. But he had to do something._

_He opened his arms to her. "C'mere."_

_As she clung to him gratefully, a quiet sob escaped her lips. And then another one. And another. _

"_Oh, I miss him…" she whispered against his shoulder, tears rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably._

_He didn't say anything, just pulled her closer to him, his hand rising hesitantly to stroke he hair. He didn't know how long they stood there like this, only that when her knees became too weak to support her shaking body, he somehow managed to maneuver them to the bed._

_He sat there, holding her in his arms with her body sprawled across his lap, her head resting on his shoulder, now damp with her tears. He was rocking her soothingly, his hand still gently stroking her head._

_After some time, her tears dried out, the sobs became fainter and fainter and her body grew limp._

_Jack continued to hold her a little longer and then he slowly and gently laid her body onto the bed. He carefully eased himself out of her embrace and gently untangled her fingers that were still clutching at his BDU shirt._

_Jack stood up slowly and made his way quietly to the door. Just before opening it, he stopped and turned around, allowing himself one last look at the sleeping woman. Her face still bore the traces of dry tears, but it was relaxed and calm. She did look much more like his Sam Carter now. She stirred and rolled onto her side, turning her back to the door and to him. A faint smile ran across his features._

"_Good night, Sam," he whispered._

_And with that he walked out._

* * *

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think :-)


	3. Third Time

**_A/N: _**People, we're halfway through the series (well, technically past-halfway, but who cares really...). First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for your wonderful reviews, I just hope I can live up to your expectations with the remaining chapters. Special thanks goes to mia66, to whom I'm so grateful for her kind support :)

Part three is a missing scene for season three episode The Devil You Know. Before writing this one, I was kind of torn between three episodes, not sure which one to 'tag', those three being The Devil You Know, Beneath The Surface and Metamorphosis. I eventually chose the first one, because there's been so much written for BTS that I just wasn't sure I could come up with something remotely original and as for Metamorphosis, I realized it would have been too much like what I have in mind for number four.

Again, this short fic contains some language, I'm thinking about changing the rating just to be sure. Please, let me know if I should. So, here it goes, I hope you'll like it!

* * *

**Third Time**

Thinking of the third time made a shiver run down his spine. It wasn't a pleasant memory for either of them, all the worse, it had triggered a chain of some even more painful ones.

*

_He was sitting on the hard ground, leaning against the cold metal bars and nursing his right thigh where that son of a bitch had shot him when he'd tried to stop him from taking Carter away. Which he had anyway._

_Jack looked around 'The Pit', as the denizens affectionately nicknamed their holding cell. Daniel was sitting on the other side of the room with his back to the entrance. His eyes were closed and Jack assumed he was trying to get some sleep. Or maybe he just couldn't bear staring at the dark rock that was the wall anymore, Jack knew _he_ couldn't. Behind him, on the other side of the fence, he could hear Martouf whispering quite words of comfort into Jacob's ear. The older man had been unconscious most of the time and Jack had to admit he was glad. He was better off not knowing that his daughter had been taken away by Apophis' guards, probably to be tortured for information._

_A wave of guilt washed over Jack. He should have tried harder to stop them. He should have done something! Of course he knew they would most likely have killed him and taken her anyway, but it just didn't make him feel any better. He was her CO and as such he had the duty to protect her. He'd let her go before, when she'd insisted that if she only could get closer to that Boner guy, she might be able to figure out how Jolinar had managed to escape. He'd had a bad feeling about it, but she'd given him that look, the one that he couldn't say no to. He may not have liked the idea, but the way her blue eyes locked his had just caught him off guard._

_Footsteps. Someone was coming. He watched as Daniel and Martouf tensed. Somewhere in a far corner of his mind, Jack couldn't help but be proud of the way the young archaeologist had gradually adapted to military thinking. Jack sat up, too, but realized that, due to his injury, he wouldn't be much good if any trouble were to arise._

_The door opened with a loud screeching noise and one of the guards dumped a limp body rather carelessly onto the floor. _

_Carter's head hit the ground with a loud thud and the guards turned to leave. _

_Before he knew it, Jack struggled to get up and along with Daniel and Martouf hurried towards her, ignoring the sharp throbbing pain in his leg. _

_He knelt by her side, Daniel already checking her pulse. "She's alive," he breathed out. _

_Jack let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He gently lifted her head, letting it rest on his good leg and leaned against a cold rock. _

"_Dad…" she mumbled faintly, not opening her eyes._

_Jack exchanged a look with Daniel, who stood up and went to check on Jacob, taking the hovering Martouf with him._

"_He's okay," Jack whispered soothingly, adjusting their position slightly, so that her head and shoulders were resting in his lap._

_Her eyes fluttered open and Jack could see that her pupils were widened, almost making the blue of her irises disappear. She stirred and shook her head weakly. _

"_I… Dad…I won't…" her voice trailed off again and she closed her eyes._

_She was delirious, Jack realized as he stroked her dusty hair tenderly. "Shhh… It's okay, Sam…"_

_He moved his hand carefully to feel her forehead. She was running high fever. Whatever they'd done to her, it must have been terrible. A new feeling of guilt grew heavy in his chest. It was his fault, they'd done this to her because of him. When they'd come, he should have fought them, offered himself in her place, anything just to… Just to protect her from this. _

_Sam's body twisted in a cramp and she let out a weak moan of pain. Jack propped one of his arms under her head and rubbed soothing circles on her shoulder and upper arm. Her muscles eased again and her breathing became a little more even, though it was still shallow and quick. _

_Suddenly, Jack realized he was tracing the white lines of pain on her face with his index finger. Somewhere inside him a little voice nagged that he should stop immediately, but he couldn't bring himself to it. Carter needed him. Not some weird alternate reality twin version of her, his Sam Carter was in need of comfort and it was him who was holding her trembling, heated body in his lap._

_She muttered something unintelligible and shook her head again. _

_Jack gently removed a few dusty strands of hair that were sticking on her sweaty forehead as he muttered softly: "It's alright, Sam, you're gonna be alright…"_

_Sam seemed to relax, as the tension in her muscles that Jack hadn't even realized had been there eased, and she shifted herself a little, resting her head on Jack's stomach. After a few moments, Jack noticed that her breaths were becoming steadier and deeper. She fell asleep._

_Jack continued to watch her face, but didn't touch her, afraid it might wake her up._

_Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps in the corridor leading to their holding cell._

_A guard who would have made any Earth pro-wrestler crawl under a table and cry out for his Mommy unlocked the door and opened it loudly, without much concern for the sleeping woman._

"_You!" He pointed at Jack. "Come with me!"_

_Jack looked down at Sam. She seemed to be fast asleep. "Ah… As you see, I'm a little busy at the moment…"_

_The guard made a few steps towards him and hovered threateningly._

"_Okay, okay…" Jack relented. He started to lift Sam's sleeping form carefully and could see from the corner of his eye that Martouf was standing up._

_Jack darted a look at Daniel, who got up immediately and hurried to take his friend's limp body from him. _

_As Daniel accepted Sam and nestled her carefully in his own lap, he and Jack exchanged a look. Daniel nodded almost imperceptibly._

_As Jack managed to get up and made his way out of the cell, he could see Martouf's slightly sulky face as he was kneeling next Jacob again._

_And deep inside, Jack couldn't help but smile with smug satisfaction._


	4. Fourth Time

**_A/N:_**_ Alright people, here it is. I sincerely apologize for the delay, but things have been just crazy recently; schoolwork, prom (big night! oh, yeah!!!)... Not to mention Christmas shopping. On the other hand, sleep deprivation seems to work for me, I wrote most of this late at night (when I was supposed to be either sleeping or studying). It takes place at the end of season seven episode Death Knell.  
_

_As always, I beg you to review, you'll make my day:)_

_**Disclaimer** (I realized that there's no dislcaimer before any of the previous chapters, here it is)**: **I don't own Stargate or any of the characters, certainly make no money from this and no copyright infringement is intended. Although, if Santa got my letter... ;-) _

_Here we go, enjoy!!!  
_

* * *

**Fourth Time**

Memory of the fourth time took him by surprise. As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, it was one of his most terrifying nightmares, something that still haunted him even after all this time. His gut twisted painfully and he could almost feel the cold hand of fear clenching his throat as he drifted back to that awful day.

*

_Jack made his way through the thick forest. In front of him, Teal'c's muscular form was moving at a steady pace, leading the way and clearing away most of the undergrowth. A branch swooshed by his face, but Jack avoided it briskly, breathing out a silent curse. Teal'c looked back over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised in a silent question. Jack took a deep steadying breath and then nodded sharply. Satisfied, Teal'c turned back and resumed his way. _

_As Jack watched his friend's broad shoulders move before him, he realized again how grateful he was for Teal'c's presence. Honestly, if it hadn't been for the Jaffa's silent support, he would probably have lost it. Those past few days had been unbearable and, for the first time in a long time, Jack was afraid. Really afraid. In fact, he was terrified. His gut clenched painfully as a voice in his head spoke up once again. _

_Dead._

_She might be dead._

_Jack tried to ignore the feeling of a heavy block of ice in his chest that this thought produced and tried to find comfort in listing the seemingly hopeless situations that Sam had managed to get them out of. _

_Not that it worked, this was different and he knew it. This wasn't just some risky SG-1 mission gone wrong, not by a long shot. This was supposed to be a routine research mission, hell, not even that, just a trip to the new Alpha site so that she could work on the anti-Kull-warrior-gun with her dad. _

_He couldn't lose her. He couldn't. Jack didn't think he would be able to face the pain of losing someone so close to him. No t again. Not this time._

_He would find her. He just would._

_Another shiver ran down his spine as an image of Sam lying in a puddle of blood somewhere in this godforsaken forest, her blue eyes wide open, hazy and lifeless, staring blindly at him, popped up in his mind._

_He had to physically shudder to shake it away, failing to catch a branch that Teal'c was holding out of his way, causing it to shoot his way and whip him right across the face. Before he could think about it twice, Jack instinctively grabbed the branch and bent it swiftly, trying to break it and murmuring various curses as the young branch wouldn't succumb to his strength. He felt anger rise up his throat and just as he thought that he would start yelling at the damn branch, it suddenly gave in and broke in half with a loud crack. Satisfied, Jack threw it away and ignoring Teal'c's questioning look with both of his eyebrows raised, he continued his way._

_Okay, he may have overreacted a little, Jack admitted to himself. As a trained soldier, he should have known better than to leave clear evidence of their presence and make it very easy for anyone to track them. But hell, it had made him feel better. At least a little. With no green-as-grass lieutenants and no Daniel around to yell at, he needed something to let out the steam. _

_And he'd been doing that a lot lately; just couldn't help it. Snapping at everyone who was brave enough to talk to him was the best way of easing the overwhelming sense of fear; and remorse. He shouldn't have let her go alone. Should have come with her. Sure he could have come up with some stupid excuse to be at the Alpha site, but he'd wanted to stay home instead. Enjoy the peace and quiet of his backyard. Dammit! Why did it always have to be her? Her of all people…_

_His radio cracked._

"_O'Neill," said the distorted voice of Colonel Reynolds._

_Jack immediately grabbed the radio and mentally whispered a prayer as he pushed the button. "Go ahead."_

"_A UAV has been shot down in your area. It's four clicks away on a heading of three two zero degrees from your present location."_

_His heart skipped a beat. "We're on it," he quickly assured Reynolds and without casting a single look at Teal'c, Jack set out in the right direction. _

_He was almost running and even though Jack could barely hear the Jaffa's footsteps, he knew Teal'c was right behind him. He always was._

_Suddenly struggling with the branches and thick undergrowth didn't seem to bother Jack. He ignored the sharp pain and loud cracking in his knees and quickened the pace. Time was of the essence here. She could be anywhere. And the son of a bitch was still after her. Jack pushed himself to run faster._

_They ran for some time before Jack had to slow down to catch his breath. Dammit, you're growing old, man, Jack thought, as the wiped the sweat off his forehead. As if to give weight to his thoughts, his left knee cracked loudly. Jack winced at the pain but didn't slow down. Hold on, he told himself, just a little longer. For her._

_An explosion rumbled somewhere behind the trees. _

_All of Jack's musings were forgotten as he collected all of his remaining strength to run again. He was so close, he knew it. His feet hitting the ground at a steady pace created a rhythm in Jack's mind. Run. Faster. Run. Faster. _

_Finally, they reached the edge of the forest. Behind the sporadic trees there was a clearing full of dust and stones. Faint smell of smoke lingered in the air. _

_And then he saw her. Crawling on all four, covered in dust and dry blood but she was alive. Alive. Thank God. A wave of relief washed over him, everything seemed to fade into the background as he set out towards her._

_Jack felt a weight rest on his shoulder. _

_He turned around to see Teal'c watching him intently, his eyes full of understanding. The Jaffa nodded briskly towards the clearing._

_Jack followed his movement and his heart stopped cold at the sight of the drone getting up from the dust. Fortunately, the years of training kicked in immediately and he wordlessly signaled Teal'c to move to the other side of the clearing and lure the warrior's attention._

_He watched as the drone neared Carter's position and it took all of his self-restraint not to run out and shoot the bastard right away. _

_There were several gunshots and the warrior turned around to follow Teal'c, giving Carter time to take cover behind a nearby rock. Good, at least this part was going well._

_Jack stormed out of the trees and ducked down next to her. The drone saw him and headed their way, shooting. _

_Jack stood up and fired the semi-effective weapon Jacob had given him. No use, the soldier just shrugged and walked on._

"_Carter," he yelled over the weapons fire. "I need the…"_

_She didn't wait for him to finish the sentence and just handed him a small object._

"_Thanks," he said briskly, attaching it to his gun. _

_Jack stood up, aiming the gun at the drone, and, for the umpteenth time today, prayed. _

_Shot._

_The drone staggered. Jack cursed._

_Shot._

_The drone fell to his knees and landed on the ground with a heavy thud._

_Jack, sighing with relief, straightened himself and studied the limp body on the ground. It looked dead. But… With these things, one never knew._

_The sound of footsteps to his right reminded Jack of Teal'c's presence. He shot a quick glance at Carter, who was peering from behind the rock, and then tossed his gun to Teal'c. "Cover him."_

_The Jaffa caught the gun swiftly and proceeded to stand guard over the drone's lifeless body._

_Jack looked back at Sam. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against a rock and staring in the direction where the Kull warrior lay. _

"_Is it…?" she said slowly and looked up to Jack._

_Taking in her worn features and hoarse voice, Jack nodded briskly. "Yeah, he's dead." He paused for a moment and glanced in Teal'c's direction. "Right, Teal'c, he's dead." Jack said, the whole sentence sounding more like a question than Jack was willing to admit._

_Teal'c looked down at the unnaturally big black form and kicked it. It didn't move and Jack let out a breath of relief._

"_Yeah, he's dead," Jack looked down at Sam, who was sitting on the dusty ground and breathing heavily, her head bent down between her knees. Jack noticed a crudely bandaged wound on her thigh. Dammit, she needed medical attention. After so many years in the field, Jack knew that even a less serious wound, if inflamed, could cause some serious problems. He needed to get her to the infirmary as fast as possible. _

"_You wanna get up?" he asked, unable to entirely conceal the worry in his voice._

_Sam shook her head slightly. "I just need to rest for a minute," she muttered quietly. Her breathing was shallow and rapid and sweat ran down her gentle forehead, leaving thin trails in the layer of dust that covered her face. _

_Her gaze was fixed on the ground, leaving her unaware of Jack's scrutiny. She looked so… vulnerable. As if all of her reserves had been drawn. Dammit, they had been! Jack had seen the look in her eyes just before he and Teal'c had intervened. He'd seen it before; he'd seen too many good men succumb to exhaustion and despair not to recognize it. She'd given up, unable to fight any longer, resigned, in acceptance of her fate. Had they come a minute later… Jack couldn't even finish the thought. He looked back at her. He'd almost lost her._

_Sam's shoulders shook weakly as she sucked in a breath._

_Damn!_

_Jack extended his right arm toward her. "C'mere," he whispered softly, pulling her closer._

_She didn't resist, in fact, she melted gratefully into his side, placing part of her weight on him. Even though it was a warm day, she was shivering. Jack patted her arm softly and she laid her head on his shoulder._

_He felt the warmth of her spread through his body and relief flooded him. She was alive. Alive and safe in his arms. Everything would be alright, because she was alive and he was keeping her safe with Teal'c watching over both of them. He cocked his head slightly, careful not to disturb her, to glance at Teal'c. He was still standing over the soldier's lifeless body, with his back to Jack and Sam. _

_Jack felt Sam's head grow heavier on his shoulder, her breaths deepening. He rested his chin on the top of her head. A sharp smell of dust and sweat lingered into his nostrils but he ignored it, savoring the moment. She was there, alive and relatively unharmed. He'd saved her._

_This time, a tiny voice in his mind whispered. How many more times would he be able to save her? How much longer would he be able to watch out for her? His knees were already giving him a hard time on practically every mission. He was growing old and he knew it. A day would come when he could no longer go out into the field with her. Maybe then he would retire. Maybe then…_

Then what?

What would you do then, old fool?

_An image sprung up in his mind. Carter holding hands with a man, a much younger man. One so much closer to her age, her heart. Pete. Pete, who wasn't inhibited by stupid rules and regulations. Pete, who was young and strong and without baggage, just like her. _

_He'd saved her, yes. But not for himself. He'd saved her, so that at the end of the day, she could go to Pete._

She's not yours, O'Neill, she'll never be.

_No, she would never be his. But she would be alive. And happy. Jack could settle for that. It hurt like hell to think that one day, she might leave the SGC, leave Daniel and Teal'c… and him behind. But he could deal with it, as long as he knew she had someone to give her what she needed._

_It was his duty to keep her alive, so she could be happy. It was Pete's to make her that. And it wasn't up to Jack to judge her choice. It wasn't his right. Not anymore. If he'd ever had that right, he'd lost it long ago. When they'd decided to leave it in the room._

_Sam stirred a little, adjusting her position so that her cheek was settled firmly on Jack's shoulder. He lifted his head and realized how limp her body had become. She was asleep._

_Jack pulled her closer to himself, carefully resting more of her weight against his side. She needed her rest; and doc Fraiser could wait a little longer._

_*_

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Thank you for reading! If you have any ideas or comments, please, let me know.  
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	5. Fifth Time

_**A/N:**_ _Alright, here's the final part of the series. I thank to all of you who had been following it, plus a special bonus for those who'd left a review :) So, this one takes place at Jack's cabin after Threads/Moebius (I know it's been done to death, but I just had to...). _

_Thank you so much once again and enjoy!_

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**Fifth Time**

The fifth time he liked the best, Jack decided and smiled smugly at the form of a woman wrapped in a plaid blanket with only a few spikes of blonde hair sticking out. _Yep, definitely the best_, he thought as Carter, no, _Sam_, stirred and turned to lie on her back with her head in his lap, letting out a soft sigh.

Jack hesitated whether or not he should put his arm around her. It was one thing that she finally felt comfortable enough around him to actually fall asleep in his lap. Which, technically she hadn't, since she'd started with her head resting against his shoulder, but as her body had grown limp, she gradually slid down to end up curled in the fetal position in Jack's lap.

And he hadn't stopped her. Not even adjusted her so that she she'd be lying in a less… compromising position, not this time. This time, he would just savor the moment and watch her sleep, without having to worry about impending doom or one of them being near death. This time, he would… he would wrap his arms around her body. To steady her, to protect her from falling down to the wooden floor, to make sure she was warm. And to assure himself that she was real. That she was really there, at his cabin, wrapped in an old blanket and sleeping peacefully in his lap.

Jack moved to put his left arm around her shoulders and carefully, so as not to disturb her, slid his other arm under her neck. Not that it was a particularly comfortable position, but what was a little discomfort compared to the sight of her snuggling deeper against his abdomen, with her features lit by the soft warm light of the fireplace. Jack watched the shadows dance on her serene features.

_Serene? Gettin__g poetic in your old age, are you, O'Neill?_ Jack snorted.

Suddenly, Sam, eyes still closed, raised one delicate eyebrow in what would have been a perfect imitation of Teal'c if…

"Carter?" Jack asked in a soft, yet teasing tone.

Sam smiled. "Hi..." she said softly and, opening her eyes, added gently, "sir."

He held her gaze for a moment and then said in a mock admonishing tone, waggling his eyebrows at her. "Carter, have you been pretending to be asleep when in fact you were fully awake?"

He would have sworn she blushed, but couldn't tell for sure in the dim light of the fire. "I would never expect such immature behavior of you, Colonel. I mean, me? Anytime, but… You? I am truly disappointed in you, Sam."

She smiled and replied playfully. "Well, normally I wouldn't, _sir_, but I just found this amazing pillow…" she trailed off, grinning.

Jack smiled smugly. "Well then, I suppose that is an acceptable excuse," he said. "I'll skip the court martial this time."

She sighed theatrically in relief and for a moment seemed to be content just lying there. As for Jack, he could have (despite himself) spent an eternity like that, looking into those blue eyes of hers.

But Sam broke the moment as she stirred and tried to look around. "Where're Daniel and Teal'c?"

Jack silently cursed himself for pushing her and replied nonchalantly. "Funny you should ask. Shortly after you had been _overcome by sleep_," again, he waggled his eyebrows, "Teal'c excused himself, said something about kel'no'reem, while Daniel had the sudden urge to… finish a book."

Sam chuckled and Jack noticed, again, that her cheeks were slightly darker than they had been the second before. She ducked her head a little, avoiding his eyes. Jack, realizing that his arms were still wrapped around her, once again mentally kicked himself for moving too fast and gesturing vaguely with one hand (thus effectively removing it from her shoulder), he suggested. "Yeah, well, it's getting late… Maybe we should…"

As if on cue, Sam yawned (and Jack had to admit she looked adorable). "Uh-huh…" she mumbled, turning again to curl into her original position with her head in his lap. She gave him a sleepy smile before her eyes slipped closed.

With a smile, Jack wrapped his arm around her body again.

_On the other hand, sometimes you have to push things a little to get them going._

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End file.
